Knowledge deity
, the Greek goddess of wisdom]] A knowledge deity is a deity in mythology associated with knowledge, wisdom, or intelligence. African mythology Ancient Egyptian * Neith, goddess sometimes associated with wisdom * Thoth, originally a moon deity, later became god of wisdom and scribe of the gods * Sia, the deification of wisdom * Isis, goddess of wisdom, magic and kingship. She was said to be "more clever than a million gods". * Seshat, goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. Scribe of the gods. Credited with the invention of writing and the alphabet. Later demoted to consort of Thoth. West African * Anansi, the spider trickster and spirit of all stories, best known from Akan and Ashanti folklore; according to some tales, also creator of the sun, moon and stars, and teacher of agriculture to humans * Orunmila, god of wisdom, knowledge, and divination Armenian mythology * Anahit, goddess of wisdom * Tir, the god of written language, schooling, rhetoric, wisdom, and the arts Caribbean mythology * Papa Legba, loa of speech, communication, understanding, and guardian of crossroads Celtic mythology * Ogma, a figure from Irish and Scottish mythology, said to have invented the Ogham alphabet Chinese mythology * Wenchang Wang, the god of literature and scholarship * Kui Xing, God of examinations * Zhuyu Xingjun, God of examination successes * Guan Yu, God of military exams * Lu Dongbin, God of daoist inner alchemy knowledge * Laozi, God of wisdom * Confucius, Sage of teachers & learning * Bao Zheng, Star of literature * Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom Etruscan mythology * Menrva, goddess of wisdom, war, weaving, and medicinede Grummond, Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend Greek mythology * Apollo, god of knowledge, music, education and youth * Athena, Olympian goddess of wisdom, weaving, and war strategy * Coeus, Titan of the inquisitive mind, his name meaning "query" or "questioning". He is the grandfather of Apollo. * Metis, the Titan associated most closely with wisdom and the mother of Athena, whose name in Ancient Greek described a combiation of wisdom and cunning. Homer, Iliad, 8. An epic poem about the Battle of Troy. 366–369 Hindu mythology * Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, creativity and speech * Brihaspati, Guru of the gods, bestower of knowledge and eloquence * Shukra, Guru of the demons, bestower of knowledge * Dakshinamurthy, aspect of the god Shiva as a guru and bestower of knowledge * Hayagriva, god of knowledge and wisdom * Gayatri, form of Saraswati and the goddess of hymns * Savitri, another form of Saraswati and goddess of wisdom Hittite mythology * A'as, god of wisdom * KamrusepaJ. G. Macqueen, '"Hattian Mythology and Hittite Monarchy'", Anatolian Studies (1959).R.Lebrun, "Le zoomorphisme dans la religion hittite," L'Animal, l'homme, le dieu dans le Proche-Orient ancien, (Leuven) 1985:95-103, noted in Beckman 1989. Japanese mythology * Benzaiten, a Japanese form of Saraswati, goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge. * Fukurokuju, god of wisdom and longevity * Kuebiko, scarecrow god of wisdom and agriculture * Omoikane, Shinto god of wisdom and intelligence * Tenjin, god of scholarship Kelsey, W. Michael (1983). "Untitled", Asian Folklore Studies Vol 42 Middle Eastern mythology * Al-Kutbay, Nabataean god of knowledge and writing * Enki, Sumerian god of intelligence, crafts, mischief, water, and creation * Nabu, Babylonian god of wisdom and writing * Nidaba, Sumerian goddess of writing, learning, and the harvest Muisca mythology * Bochica, messenger god of knowledgeHermann & Bullock, 1954 Norse mythology * Odin, god of wisdom who nevertheless relentlessly keeps searching for more knowledge; associated with the runes * Frigg, she is said to know the future, but never tells. The three following goddesses may be hypostases of her. * Gefjon, goddess associated with plowing, foreknowledge, and virginity. * Sága, goddess of wisdom * Snotra, goddess associated with wisdom * Vör, goddess associated with wisdom *Numerous minor characters in Norse mythology are said to be very wise, though there's often no instance of them demonstrating this supposed wisdom: **Dwarfs, particularly Alviss, whose name means "all-wise". Thor keeps him from marrying his daughter by challenging him to a wisdom contest that lasts all night. He's turned to stone by the rising sun. **Elfs possibly **Heimdallr **Kvasir **Mimir **Tyr **Utgard-Loki, while not outright stated to be wise, he's notable for being the only giant to be cleverer than the gods and getting to escape with his life **Vafthrudnir, a wise jotunn Odin seeks out to challenge to a wisdom contestOrchard (1997:170). **the Vanir in generalDu Chaillu, P. B. (1889). Persian mythology * Anahita, goddess of wisdom * Ahura Mazda, Zoroastrian god of light, benevolence, creation, truth, and perfect wisdom * Chista, goddess of wisdom and knowledge, she leads the mortals to the right way in life and the afterlife; she is also the goddess of religion in Zoroastrian mythology. Polynesian mythology * Anulap, god of magic and knowledge * Eijebong Roman mythology * Egeria, water nymph who gives wisdom and prophecy in return for libations of water or milk at her sacred grove * Fabulinus, the god who teaches children to speak * Minerva, goddess of wisdom and crafts, the Roman equivalent of Athena * Providentia, goddess of forethought Slavic mythology * Gamayun, symbol of knowledge and wisdom Turco-Mongol mythology * Mergen, deity of abundance and wisdom. Mergen symbolizes intelligence and thought. References Category:Deities Category:Knowledge gods